It all began in 2009 with a small group of people and a blank sheet of paper. They weren’t just any people
– they were seasoned healthcare professionals, experts in their specialties, with strong convictions about
what constituted excellence. They brought passion and creativity to those meetings, along with their
experience, and recognized that they had been given a rare opportunity: a chance to start a new hospital
from scratch, to take a vision and make it a glorious reality.

At the helm of this extraordinary effort was Anne S. Hast, DNP, RN, a well-known nursing leader in
the Pittsburgh region. With over thirty years in healthcare, the warm and dynamic Hast has a depth
of experience in every facet of healthcare administration. She was tapped by a group of orthopaedic
surgeons known as Advanced Orthopedics and Rehabilitation to help them fulfill a dream: the creation
of a new concept in health care, a dedicated specialty hospital for the care and rehabilitation of patients
undergoing joint replacement and other orthopaedic procedures. That dream eventually became Advanced
Surgical Hospital (ASH) a 14-bed fully licensed acute care hospital that opened in May 2010 in
Washington, PA.

ASH is not an outpatient surgical facility, but an acute care hospital that performs both inpatient and
outpatient procedures. ASH specializes in orthopaedic surgery, including knee and hip replacements, as
well as other orthopedic procedures, but also has physicians on the staff that perform plastic, podiatric and
general surgery and ophthalmology procedures. The facility has on-site lab services, plus x-ray and MRI,
and contracted pharmacy services

ASH has gained national attention for innovation and quality, and superlative ratings in patient
satisfaction. The hospital received a 99th percentile rating in patient satisfaction as measured by
HCAHPS, and was one of just four in the region to receive bonus payments from the Center for Medicare
and Medicaid for quality of care, for zero re-admissions.

With her experience in clinical care, academics and hospital operations, plus a doctorate in nursing
practice from the University of Pittsburgh, Hast was uniquely qualified for her role as CEO at ASH. As
she saw it, her primary task was to assemble a leadership team of spirited, entrepreneurial professionals
who could take this opportunity and “run with it” – which they did. At those early meetings, ideas were
generated, a mission was established and goals were set. “I looked for people who were able to deal
with a start-up,” Hast says. “They had to be risk-takers, able to embrace change and be open to non-
traditional ways of doing things. They needed to be willing to exercise their professional knowledge to its
maximum.”

The surgeons, along with Hast and her leadership team, developed a philosophy of care that emphasized
dignity and respect; they developed policies, practices and standards of care that would express that
philosophy in every aspect of operations. “We designed a solid, stellar infrastructure of patient care
processes,” she explains. “We practice thorough screening, patient education and preparation for
every phase of their experience. Patients are so responsive to this; it’s what they want and need. All of
healthcare should be like this.”

Hast gives credit to the physicians and staff, stating that the hospital’s success is a testament to “the
power of the team” – the 116 clinical, administrative and facility employees who strive for excellence
every day. “In a small hospital everyone wears multiple hats, so the staff has to be agile. It’s a constant
learning and growing experience.”